6. JESUS WAS BRUISED BY EXCRUCIATING TRIALS AND TEMPTATIONS FROM SATAN.

a. Jesus was badly bruised by Satan's attacks in the wilderness, and throughout His ministry.

Satan demanded that Job and Peter should be put into his hands to test them. Job.1v6-22. 2v1-8. Lk.22v31-34. That the very same thing happened to Jesus, is proved by His temptation in the wilderness, and by Heb.4v15., which states that Jesus was tempted in all points like ourselves. Satan demanded the opportunity to make many all out attacks on Jesus, and to tempt and try Him to the very limit. Satan said that if the hedge of protection that was around Job was removed, Job would curse God to His face, and asked for the opportunity to prove it, but His malignant and malicious attacks on Job failed to turn him from the God he loved. God removed the hedge about Jesus, and gave Satan the opportunity to tempt and test Jesus, and Satan set about it with ferocious and evil enthusiasm, and tried to corrupt the pure soul of Jesus, but Jesus was totally victorious over his evil stratagems and vicious temptations. Satan completely failed to corrupt our dear Lord Jesus.

b. There were many other attacks by Satan on Jesus besides the temptation in the wilderness.

This is clearly revealed in Luke.4v13., "And when the devil had completed every temptation, he departed from him for a season." (KJV) "Season," is "Kairos," 2540, it means, "the time when things are brought to crisis, a decisive epoch in time, an opportune, convenient, or seasonable time." Here it is used of the timing of Satan's strategic attacks on Jesus, but it is also used of the timing of God's strategic plans, epochs and events in the world. Mt.11v25. 26v18. Mk.1v15. Lk.19v44. 21v24. Rom.5v6. 1Tim.2v6. Rev.11v18. etc.

The New King James Version of Lk.4v13., reads, "Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time." "In, "had ended every temptation," "had ended," is the verb "suntelesas" 4931, which is derived from "sun," 4862, "together," and "teleo" 5055, to "accomplish, to end, complete, conclude," and means "to bring to one end together;" and so, "concluded completely." When Satan had tried every kind of temptation, he gave up all his attempts at seducing Jesus. "Every temptation," is "panta" 3956, "peirasmon" 3986, Satan's primary attack was on Christ's relationship and standing with God the Father, and the best way to fulfil His mission for God His Father, the desire for food was part of this temptation. Jesus "was in all points tempted like as we are." Heb.4v15. For forty days and nights Satan strove with all his craft and cunning to entrap, seduce, and defeat Jesus, but his evil desires and plans were in all points defeated. Make no mistake, this was no mere intellectual dispute, it was a cataclysmic and devastating spiritual confrontation, that was so physically and mentally debilitating, that Jesus needed angelic ministry to sustain and renew His body, soul, mind, and spirit. Mk.1v12,13.

c. We read in Lk.4v2., that Jesus was tempted throughout all of the forty days.

There were also the three major temptations at the end of His forty days in the wilderness. This undoubtedly included the terrifying dreams and visions in the night that Job experienced at the hands of the Devil. Poor Job felt that God was afflicting him and giving him these terrible nightmares and visions in the night, when it was really Satan. We read in Job.7v13-15. v13., When I say, 'My bed will comfort me, my couch will ease my complaint,' v14. Then You frighten me with dreams and terrify me with visions, v15. So that my soul chooses strangling and death rather than my body and pains." Jesus knew that it was Satan who was putting Him to this fearsome test, but the temptation in the wilderness was so severe that angels had to physically sustain and renew Him, just as an angel had to strengthen Him in the devastating experience He suffered in the garden of Gethsemane. Mk.1v13. Lk.22v43. In the wilderness Satan was trying to seduce and trip Jesus up, and put paid to His ministry before it started. In Gethsemane Satan tried to make Jesus turn back from the agony and horror of the Cross and Hades, and so frustrate God's plans to save mankind. The first man, Adam, failed miserably, the last Adam, Jesus, triumphed gloriously, and against all the odds, won through and purchased our salvation with His own precious shed blood. 1Cor.15v45-49. Blessed be His Name!

d. Satan made many more crafty and vicious attacks on Jesus through people.

Satan even used Peter to try to sidetrack Jesus from His mission. Mk.8v33. Mt.4v10. 16v23. Lk.4v8. Satan used Israel's religious leaders on many occasions to attack and oppose Jesus, by malicious slander, craft, and schemes to kill Him. Lk.22v1-6. Jn.5v18. 7v1. 8v39-40. Jesus said in Lk.22v53. "When I was with you daily in the temple, you did not try to seize Me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness." "The power of darkness," is "he exousia 1849 tou skotous" 4655. All the massed might of the evil angelic powers came against Jesus in full force as the time came for Him to make atonement for sin, but He overcame all their malicious, brutal, and sadistic opposition, and conquered and subjugated them. Blessed be His wonderful Name! Heb.2v15.

Paul reveals the hosts of evil that waged war against Jesus, and we fight against, in Eph.6v12. "For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." (RSV) There can be no doubt whatever, that Paul is speaking here of the different ranks and orders of evil spirits. Jesus resisted and stood against these hosts of evil that attacked Him, and took up all the armour of God and totally defeated them, and through His armour, presence and grace we can do the same.

"Against Principalities," "archas" 746. The chief rulers over the nations, evil angels of the first rank and order in their kingdom.

"Against Powers," "exousias" 1849. The evil angels that act with delegated authority from the principalities.

"Against the rulers of the darkness of this world." "Tous 3588, kosmokratoras 2888, tou 3588, skotous 4655, tou 3588, aionos 165, toutou 5127." The rulers and emperors of the darkness of this present age. "Kosmokratoras," the evil lords of this present world, the princes of this age. The Devil and his evil angels, are the real powers behind the world's kingdoms.

"Against spiritual wickedness in heavenly places." "Ta 3588, pneumatika 4152, tees 3588, ponerias 4189, en 1722, tois 3588, epouraniois 2032." Evil beings in the heavenly places who are full of corrupting evil, "poneros." These are different orders of evil spirits, angels who kept not their first estate; who fell from the heavenly places, who Satan employs to hinder the spread of the Gospel, and to destroy men's souls, and we strive against them and resist their evil plans.

e. Jesus experienced testing and bruising temptations from the flesh.

Paul had to beat his body under, restrain it, and keep it under control, we read in 1Cor.9v26,27., v26. "Well, I do not run aimlessly, I do not box as one beating the air; v27. but I pommel my body and subdue it, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. (RSV) The living Bible translates 1Cor.9v27., "Like an athlete I punish my body, treating it roughly, training it to do what it should, not what it wants to. Otherwise I fear that after enlisting others for the race, I myself might be declared unfit and ordered to stand aside."

Satan certainly made use of the human side of Jesus in the wilderness, when Jesus became very hungry after fasting for forty days. Jesus is called "the man Christ Jesus," and we are told that He "was tempted in all points just as we are, yet without sin." 1Tim.2v5. Heb.4v15.Jesus never gave way to temptations from the flesh, He was totally victorious over all temptations.

N. B. THE THREE LAST TEMPTATIONS OF CHRIST IN THE WILDERNESS.

It is impossible to think of a more bruising and trying experience than a face to face all out attack by Satan for forty days and nights in the wilderness. The conflict was so great, and so ruthless, relentless, vicious and destructive, that it physically and mentally totally exhausted Jesus, to such an extent, that angels had to come to Jesus and physically strengthen Him, just as an angel had to strengthen Him in the garden of Gethsemane, when He was under such spiritual and physical pressure that He could well have died without this angelic ministry. Mk.1v12,13. Lk.22v43.

1. SATAN TRIED TO ROB JESUS OF THE POWER OF GOD BY AN ATTACK ON HIS FAITH.

a. Satan aggressively attacked the reality of Christ's most holy and blessed experiences.

When John saw the Holy Spirit as a dove rest upon Jesus in unlimited power, he testified that Jesus was God's Lamb, and only begotten Son, and Israel's promised Messiah. Jn.1v15-19,29-36. 3v27-36. The Father's voice confirmed John's witness, for all to hear, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Mt.3v11-17. Yet Satan challenged the witness of the Father and Spirit, and cast doubt on Christ's blessed and holy experiences. What evil affrontery! Satan will try to challenge and cast doubt on our lovely God-given experiences and gifts, we must resist him and rejoice in what God has given to us, for God's word and promises to us are always true and reliable.

b. Satan tried by to undermine and destroy Christ's faith in God's Word.

Satan will try to destroy our faith in the promises, power and love of God. "Has God said," still comes from Satan's lips. Gen.3v6. with Rev.12v9. Satan still denies the reliability of God's Word and the reality of His promises to us, including the promise of the baptism and gifts of the Holy Spirit. The Scriptures, which confirm that Christ's experience was from God, confirm that ours is too, and that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are for today, and the heritage of the children of God. Acts.2v38,39.

c. Satan sneered at, disparaged and maligned Christ's thirty years of love and devotion to God at Nazareth.

Christ had lived a life of perfect holiness and purity for 30 years, and Satan knew it; yet he dismisses and casts doubt on Christ's beautiful life of perfect love and devotion to His Father, with his lying and sarcastic, "If." Satan tried to bring Jesus to a place of dejection and despair by his evil insinuations, and he will try to give us feelings of guilt and despair by casting aspersions on our character and work for God. Satan will try to dismiss all our acts of love and devotion to God by his evil insinuations; however, the Scriptures assure us that "God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love." Heb.6v10. Nagging, condemning, destructive attacks upon our minds, come from Satan, "The Accuser," not from God. Rev.12v9-12. Don't accept Satan's lies about yourself; only recognise and confess what the Scriptures say you are in Christ. Mt.7v7-11. Lk.11v9-13. Jn.3v16. 15v9. 17v23. Eph.1v3. Jesus understands and cares, and even His disciplines spring out of His great love for us. Heb.4v14-16. Christ is made unto us all we need, His strengthening grace is more than sufficient for us. 1Cor.1v30,31. Phil.4v13,19. Let praise and worship take the place of your heaviness and despair, draw near to God in praise and prayer, resist Satan and he will flee from you. James.4v7-9. God is love, He appreciates all our love and work for Him.

d. Satan fiercely attacked the Sonship and deity of Jesus. N.B.Rom.8v14-17. 1Jn.3v1,2.

Jesus created Satan, and Satan knew it, yet he tried, by lies and insinuations, to attack Christ's Deity and Sonship, he will certainly attack our sonship. Resist Satan's attack on your position in Christ. James.4v5-7. Don't give place to him for an instant, "Beloved, now are we the sons of God." 1Jn.3v1,2., we are joint heirs with Jesus, God's own beloved children. Rom.8v17.

e. Satan attempted to undermine Christ's faith in God's provision and love for Him.

Satan was in effect saying to Christ, "You say that you acted on the revealed will of God, and look where it got you, into a wilderness with no provision, what a good God you serve." Satan loves to imply that God has failed us, or does not love us, because God has not miraculously intervened in our circumstances; but it is a lie, we are always on our Father's heart. God may allow our faith to be tried by difficult circumstances, temptation, and trials; but He will never leave us or forsake us. Heb.13v5,6,8. 1Pet.1v3-9. How much more reliable than the closest of earthly ties is the abundant affection, unceasing care, and unfailing love of our heavenly Father. Luke.11v13.

f. Satan viciously attacked the reality of Christ's spiritual gifts.

Satan taunted Christ, "You have not had one miracle. What, you God's Son? What an imagination you have. If you are God's Son, and have been filled with the Spirit, where are the miracles? If you have received the Holy Spirit and spiritual gifts, why are you having such a bad time?" Jesus knew that God's power and gifts are manifested under the guidance of God's wisdom and in God's time and will. We cannot demand great manifestations of God's power at our will, it is "severally as He will." 1Cor.12v11. The lack of great spiritual gifts after our baptism in the Spirit can be a major temptation, however, great gifts of revelation and demonstration, are given to mature Christians, and in particular to the leading ministries of Christ's Church. Jn.5v19,30. Satan will try us as he tried our Lord, and we must answer him as Jesus did. Jesus quoted from Deut.8v3., which states that God allows His children to be tried and qualified by adversity, and that God is always with us in our temptations and trials. Jesus knew that the God who looked after the Israelites in the wilderness for forty years would look after Him, and God will look after us, He always with us. 1Pet.1v4-7. 5v7. Let us answer Satan with, "It is written," God's truth stands forever sure, our God will never fail us, or forsake us. Heb.13v5-8.

2. SATAN TRIED TO GET JESUS TO USE HIS GIFTS IN THE WRONG WAY. Mt.4v5-7.

Satan again attacked the faith of Christ and His Sonship, but we will not dwell on this, as we have already covered this point.

a. Satan tried to get Jesus to misinterpret the Scriptures in a self willed, presumptuous and fanatical way.

When Satan quoted Ps.91v11,12., he omitted some important words, as can be seen by a comparison with Lk.4v10,11. and Mt.4v6.. Satan omitted the words "in all thy ways," that is, the ways of Christ directed by God. Satan misquotes Ps.91v11,12., doubtless one of Christ's favourite portions of Scripture, and suggests that He had a Scriptural authority for a daring act of faith.

Satan was in effect saying, "This is one of the Scriptures that you particularly love and rest your faith on; this is one of the words out of the mouth of God, why not put it to the test? If you are God's Son and He has given you authority and power, then, prove it to me and everybody." Christ completely rejected the temptation to misinterpret the Scripture, and to put His Father to the test by going ahead on His own. Jesus knew that the promises of God must be used in the context in which they are quoted, and in conjunction with the whole tenor of Christian truth. Great manifestations of spiritual gifts can only be expected in the will and purpose of God. Jn.5v19,30. Jesus quoted from Deut.6v16., "Ye shall not tempt the Lord your God, as ye tempted Him in Massah," from the incident in Exod.17v1-7., where Israel put God to the Test. Our Lord inferred that those who embark upon presumptuous enterprises without the guidance of God, put God to the test; to doubt the guiding and providing hand of God is to repeat the sin of the children of Israel at Massah and Meribah. Those who usurp the Holy Spirit's position in the Church, and run it as they feel, have committed this sin of pride, self-will, and presumption.

Satan will try to incite us to start us upon presumptuous and fanatical enterprises, and try to get us to misuse spiritual gifts, he still comes to us "with a Bible under his arm, and a text in his mouth." Satan attacks every revival with misinterpretations and perversions of the Scriptures, we have to make sure that our manifestations of the gifts of the Holy Spirit are according to the Scriptural pattern. If we want to pervert or dodge the truth, Satan will certainly find us a Scripture to back us up, but this will involve wresting a text out of its context, and wilfully ignoring other Scriptures upon the subject. The perils of pride, self-will, presumption and fanaticism are very great and lead to "great transgression." Let us follow the example of Jesus and resist Satan's attacks upon us and dependence upon God. Ps.19v13.

b. Satan tried to get Jesus to use spiritual gifts in a spectacular way to win the praise of people.

Satan will tempt us to use spiritual gifts in a spectacular way to win the support, praise and admiration of the people. Satan fell through the sins of pride, covetousness and love of praise and position; he tries to make His creator fall into the same sins that had caused his own downfall and doom. Ezek.28v17. Is.14v12-14. Satan challenged Christ to do an outstanding sign before the people. Jesus resisted this appeal to pride and love of praise, He had come to die, not to lead Israel to victory over Rome, He had come to save people from their sins, not to receive empty adulation. If Christ had followed Satan's suggestion it would have been a complete denial of His mission, and would have been a rejection of His Father's Word, love, provision and guidance. Satan will tempt us to use the power of God and His spiritual gifts in a proud and spectacular manner. There can be a desire to show people that God has called us and used us, and this is wrong. We can tell people what God has accomplished through us, if we do it in humility to God's glory, and in order to help people's faith, as Paul and Barnabus did in Acts.14v27.. Satan's servants, like Simon the sorcerer, may boast that they are a great one, but servants of the meek and lowly Christ must be genuinely humble. "Let another man praise thee and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips." Prov.27v2. Satan puffs up his servants; God humbles His, and measures their greatness by their humility. Mt.18v1-5.

c. Satan tempted Jesus to strive for and win position and prestige in men's religious power structures.

Satan will tempt us to use spiritual gifts in a spectacular way to win position and prestige. God has not given us His spiritual gifts to increase our prestige and position, He has given them to us to glorify His Name and meet people's needs. Jesus entirely resisted the temptation to use the power of God in a way that would win over the influential over to His side, and win a position amongst them. Satan was in effect saying to Christ, "Cast yourself down at the Temple before the elders of Israel. Seek the help and patronage of the influential. To do the work that you want to do, you need the people with money, power and authority behind you." Many have compromised both truth and experience by throwing themselves down at the Temple of worldly and religious prestige, and through seeking the praise of men, or by fighting for position in their church, have offended God, and lost His power. Those who seek the praise of men, inevitably find that they compromise the truth because of the fear of man. Jn.12v42,43. Christ fearlessly preached against traditions that made void the Word of God, and exposed hypocrisy and sham. It cost Him His life, but He pleased the Father. These religious leaders opposed Christ, and in the end murdered Him. He threatened their power structure and they could not tolerate this. The test of the spiritual greatness of any Christian leader, is their willingness to step down from position and humbly serve others. Jn.13v1-17. Mt.20v20-28. Phil.2v1-11. Christ humbled the religious leaders of His day by showing His preference for the prayerful, spiritual, consecrated, and sincere ordinary working men, as leaders in His work; He can and does do the same today, when religious leaders lack spirituality and sincerity.

3. SATAN TEMPTED JESUS TO EXCHANGE GOD'S BLESSING FOR EARTHLY GLORY.

a. Satan tried to seduce Jesus with an offer of worldly wealth, prestige, and glory.

Satan tried to get Jesus to exchange His Father's blessing and His cross, for the defiled glory and power of the world. Satan showed Jesus all the glory of the world's kingdoms, and in effect said, "Why fight me? Why have a battle? You can have all these without a fight if you will go my way, accept my standards and worship me. Don't take up your cross, exchange your life of dedication to God, for the worlds pleasures, power and wealth." The temptation to fill our lives with worldly things, and to judge our lives by worldly standards will come to every Christian. We need to realise, like our Lord Jesus did, that God owns all things, and that our allegiance should be His alone. Deut.6v13-15. A curse, not glory, comes upon all those who forsake God for the broad and easy way. Mt.7v13,14. with Deut.28v15-68. Satan's offer of his filthy and corrupt kingdoms was certainly no bargain, they will all be destroyed at Christ's return, the world belongs to Jesus and the Father, not Satan, he is a usurper.

There was a strong implication from Satan, that if Christ did not follow his advice, He would experience the most sustained and vicious opposition from these kingdoms, for they were under Satan's control. Indeed, Jesus did have to face the most vicious and ruthless slander, hatred, envy, malice and persecution from the children of Satan, and we will experience the same if we are going to do God's will and glorify God through the manifestation of His spiritual gifts. When we think that materialism, worldly standards and compromise have more to offer us than serving God, we are getting very close to bowing down, serving and worshipping Satan. Let us follow the example of Jesus, He refused to sell His heavenly anointing and call for the things of the world, or compromise truth because of the fear of man, and the hatred and opposition of the kingdoms of the world. Nothing deterred Him from the mission that the Father had sent Him to do.

b. Satan tried to get Jesus to supplement the power of God with the glory of the world.

Jesus refused to use the glory of the world to supplement or replace the power of God; He chose people who had no worldly power or influence to be the leaders of His Church. 1Cor.1v26-31. The further we get away from God, the more we rely upon human resources. However, universities, music, art and literature, good as these can be, cannot replace dependence upon God and His power. We are in real spiritual danger when we rely upon what we can do, and feel that we can manage on our own. We praise God for Christian scholars, and we would be lost without them, but our first need is for men with truly apostolic ministry. Mt.9v35-38. Paul was an outstanding scholar, but he gloried in his limitations, not his abilities, so that the power of Christ would rest upon him. In 2Cor.12v9-12., "rest," is "episkenose," the aorist active subjunctive of "episkenoo" 1981, literally, "to pitch upon him like a tent," to dwell, to abide," like the Shechinah over the Tabernacle. Acts17v15-34. 18v1-18. N.B. v10. 1Cor.2v1-8.

Evangelism can be based on human oratory, and this can be looked upon as a substitute for the power and miracles of the early Church. Churches that allow worldly glory and human ability to replace God's power, become empty husks that disillusion those who are broken in heart, weary, sick and sinful, who are seeking and longing for a loving fellowship, where they can find God and His healing, peace and blessing. Jesus knew that only God could meet the needs of the world, and that human endeavour and worldly glory would always fail.

c. Satan tried to get Jesus to build a worldly or religious empire around Himself.

Christ refused to build an earthly empire around His ministry, His kingdom was not of this world, He lived just to glorify the Father and perform His will. Jn.4v34. 5v30. 6v38,39. 12v28. 17v1,4,5,10. 18v33-37. 21v19. Heb.10v5-7. Someone has said, "How often has ambition conquered those who have conquered nearly all else." If our only motive for desiring the gifts of the Holy Spirit is to build our personal or denominational kingdom, then we are desiring them for the very worst of reasons. We are not here to build our kingdoms, or our bank balance, by exalting Christ and His gifts; we are to follow the example of the Holy Spirit, and use His gifts for the sole purpose of exalting Jesus and glorifying God. Jn.16v12-15. 14v12-14. Our emphasis should be "Our Christ," not ourselves, or our church, God is the only one to be served and worshipped.

Jesus has left us the perfect example of financial integrity and sincerity.

His attitude to money was beyond reproach. His enemies mocked His preaching against love of money and worldly-mindedness, and His total lack of any desire for money. Lk.16v10-15. Jesus was called many things by His enemies, but He was never called a "money-grabber." Grateful people, mainly women, who had been greatly helped through His ministry; met Christ's simple needs; and sometimes other people also gave food and shelter for Jesus and His disciples. Lk.8v1-3. 19v5. etc. However, Jesus often had no shelter and had to "sleep rough," out in the open air; He knows what it is to be homeless. Mt.8v19,20. Lk.9v57,58. Christ never tried to squeeze finances out of the people that He was preaching to; no one was to be charged for divine healing, "Freely ye have received, freely give." Mt.10v7,8. Indeed, as they were able, the apostolic band gave money to the poor and needy. Jn.12v5-8.

Jesus made no demands for money for evangelism or good causes. Jesus did not financially put upon those who sympathised with Him and helped Him in His work, He did not sleep at the best hotels, He had nowhere to lay His head on many occasions. Lk.9v57-62. Jesus did what the Father told Him to do, not what He felt was good or necessary. It is a striking fact that the Father never told Jesus to do things that are looked upon as essential today by most Christians. Christ built no buildings, He had no means of transport other than His own feet, He did not even get Scribes to write down and distribute His sermons. Jesus just made Himself a channel of His Father's will, love and power. Jn.5v18,19,30. It is not just enough to see a need and try to meet it; we have to make quite sure that we meet the priorities that the Father lays down. Jesus kept His financial needs down to a minimum, His base was a simple home in Capernaum, and we will do well to follow His example. Mt.4v13. Mk.2v1. 9v33. Christ's one aim was to glorify His Father and do His will, and if we want to defeat the attacks of Satan, our aims and purposes in ministry will have to be the same.

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